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This is Why America's Internet Speeds are So Slow

The U.S. falls behind many other countries in average Internet speeds -- and lack of competition is a main factor.

There are handful of reasons why America's Internet speeds fall below other countries.

For one, the U.S. has less population density than other countries, making it more expensive for Comcast(NASDAQ:CMCSA), Time Warner Cable(NYSE:TWC), and Verizon Communications to build out vast Internet pipelines.

But that's not the whole picture. Some countries -- like South Korea -- built out their Internet connections more easily because of population density and government oversight. Meanwhile, the U.S. government has typically steered clear of too much government involvement in the Internet marketplace.

But that's starting to change, and the eventual result could be more Internet competition in the U.S. and cheaper prices. Click through the slideshow below to see how the U.S. stacks up against other countries' Internet speeds, and what the government is doing to try change it.